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THE STATE
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 |
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TO: |
The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents |
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FROM: |
James A. Kadamus |
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COMMITTEE: |
EMSC-VESID |
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TITLE OF
ITEM: |
Revisions to Charter School Charters |
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DATE OF
SUBMISSION: |
December 23, 2003 |
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PROPOSED
HANDLING: |
Approval (Consent Agenda) |
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RATIONALE FOR
ITEM: |
Statutory Authority to Approve Amendments to Charters |
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STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goals 1 and 2 |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
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SUMMARY:
The Board of Regents is authorized to approve proposed revisions to existing charters. The Board of Trustees of the State University of New York has submitted to the Board of Regents proposed revisions to the charters for the Bedford-Stuyvesant Preparatory Charter School for Excellence, the Charter School of Science and Technology, the Sisulu Children’s Academy–Harlem Public Charter School, and the Tapestry Charter School. The proposed revision for the Bedford-Stuyvesant Preparatory Charter School for Excellence is to change its name to the Excellence Charter School of Bedford Stuyvesant. The proposed amendment for the Charter School of Science and Technology is to allow the school to serve only grades K-8 instead of K-12 in the remaining year of its charter. The targeted enrollment would remain at 1,277. The proposed change for the Sisulu Children’s Academy–Harlem Public Charter School is to allow the school to serve only grades K and 3-5 instead of K-6 in the remaining year of its charter. The targeted enrollment would decrease from 647 to 300 students. The proposed amendment for the Tapestry Charter School is to allow the school to add a 7th grade and an 8th grade for the remaining years of its charter. The maximum enrollment would increase from 180 to 216 students in the fifth year of its charter. Attached are materials submitted by the Charter Schools Institute on behalf of the Trustees.
The Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education via the Office of New School Development has submitted an amendment for the Clearpool Children’s Charter School. The proposed revision for the Clearpool Children’s Charter School is to change its name to “The Brooklyn Charter School” and replace Clearpool, Inc. with Sheltering Arms Children’s Services as the school’s institutional partner. Additionally, the Chancellor is requesting that the school’s extended day and extended academic calendar be replaced with a standard school day from 8:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and a regular academic school year. Lastly, the Chancellor is requesting that the school be allowed to suspend the school’s planned three overnight and one five-day residential sessions for the 2003-2004 school year. Attached are materials submitted by the New York City Department of Education’s Office of New School Development.
VOTED: That the Board of Regents approve the proposed revisions to the charters of the following charter schools based upon the information contained in the attachments and upon a finding by the Board of Regents that: (1) the revisions meet the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; (2) the revisions (together with the other terms of the charters)
will permit the charter schools to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner;
and (3) the revisions (together with the other terms of the charters) are likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law:
· Bedford-Stuyvesant Preparatory Charter School for Excellence, CSD #16, New York City
· Charter School of Science and Technology, Rochester
· Clearpool Charter School, CSD #16, Brooklyn
· Sisulu Children’s Academy–Harlem Public Charter School, CSD #5, New York City
· Tapestry Charter School, Buffalo
VOTED: That the Board of Regents approve a revision to the certificate of incorporation of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Preparatory Charter School for Excellence and the Clearpool Charter School, to reflect a change in their names to the Excellence Charter School of Bedford Stuyvesant and the Brooklyn Charter School, respectively.